3:24 AM Fri 6 Feb 2009 GMT
 | | 'Gotta Love it 7 - 18ft Skiffs Australian Championship - Race 2 Sunday, 18 January 2009'
Frank Quealey © /Australian 18 Footers League
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Australia's Champion Gotta Love It 7 sailed by Seve Javin, Sam Newton and Tom Clout in the final stages of preparation for the 18 footer World Championship JJ Giltinan trophy as crew Tom Clout reports.
'For Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and myself on the Gotta Love it 7 18ft Skiff, the break from racing for three weeks over the Christmas / New Year period provided the opportunity to take a break from what was an intensive period from October to December.
'In the pre-christmas period we ended up finishing as runners-up to the boys on Rag and Famish Hotel in the NSW Championship.
'The series was progressing very well for us, until we had a poor result mid-series and then the last heat was cancelled due to excessive winds.
'Whilst we were disappointed to lose our crown as State Champions, we certainly walked away from that series with a hunger to push ourselves over the break and come back in a position to do well in the Nationals in January.
'We also acknowledged the steady performance from improved teams that have been working hard on their skills, equipment and fitness, most notably Rag and Famish, Southern Cross Constructions and a team from the UK, Project Racing.
'For the last two seasons, we have enjoyed a slight advantage in the sails and masts. This season has seen the fleet catch up in this regard.
'Most of the fleet is now sailing with massive roaches in the head of the mainsails and stiffer masts in order to support the big square-top mains.
'It is a very different looking sail profile from three years ago. So, the challenge for us is to stay within the top group of the fleet by not only further development, but also working on our skills and strategies to race in a fleet which is more one-design than recent seasons.
'During the break, Sam was focusing on his other role in life as the sailing-master aboard Bob Steele's 50 foot yacht, Quest in the lead-up to the Sydney to Hobart race. After a very fast race in perfect conditions, Quest was the overall winner of the race.
'This was a great achievement for Sam, who is still only 22 years old. We are all proud of him. It capped off a great 2008 for Sam, coming on top of wins in the Skiff Nationals and Worlds from earlier in the year.
'Together with our coach, Andrew Palfrey we organised a training camp from Sunday 4th to Wednesday 7th Jan.
'This consisted of a series of short races, as well as tuning with our sparring partners and practicing particular parts of the course where big gains can be made.
'Up to five other skiff teams joined us for this camp and all boats displayed improved speed and skills by the camp's end. On top of the sailing, the Seven team was engaged in morning fitness sessions with our trainer Andrew Verdon.
'We alternated between working out at his gym in Neutral Bay and at Balmoral Beach, where 'Verge' introduced us to his favourite never ending staircase!
'The camp was great, as it allowed us to consolidate our strong aspects, and allowed us to put new theories and ideas to the test. We were able to identify what worked and what didn't.
'With the new mast and sails now in the boat, it did gave us an opportunity to play with rig set-up 'numbers'. So far we are really happy with how the rig has been performing.
'Our sail-maker, Michael Coxon at North Sails has also been confident with the stiffer characteristics of the mast and how it is marrying to his sail designs. So, all-in-all, it was a very productive four days of sailing and training in great weather.
Prepped and eager to get back into racing the 2009 Australian Championship, Gotta Love It 7 finished heat one in a comfortable second place to Southern Cross Constructions. This was followed by a big win for us in heat two and a strong second placing in a shifty breeze in heat three. These results left us sitting in a solid first place overall with two heats left to sail.
'Heat four was held on Australia Day and proved to be a challenging day for the whole fleet. Apart from a building south-east wind, we had to contend with a very crowded Harbour.
'It seemed like every bloke in Sydney was taking their stink boats out for the annual roar down the harbour. We were having some great racing in the top three with Southern Cross and Rag and Famish, before some questionable decisions from us resulted in a penalty and also a capsize.
'This saw us fall back to finish in our worst position of the season in ninth place. This result was a disappointment for the team with some out-of-character sailing. Southern Cross had a big win after Rag and Famish retired due to gear failure. This left us tied on points with Southern Cross with only one race left to sail.
'The final heat saw us respond strongly. We had a steady start, which allowed to sail to our strategy. We led at the first mark and were able to increase our lead at every other mark to win the race and the Australian Championship for the second year in succession.
'Southern Cross did not get off the start cleanly, but they finished strongly to place third in the race and second in the Championship.
'In the absence of our regular coach, the legendary Iain Murray was on hand to provide his thoughts on what the light easterly breeze would do. It fantastic for our team to have someone like Iain to call on.
'We now move into the final stages of preparation for the JJ Giltinan Trophy, which is our World Championship. There will be thirty two teams represented, from a total of five countries and three Australian states.
'The first heat is on Saturday 14th of Feb.. The event consists of seven heats.
'For us, we are looking toward tapering off the training over the next week and also putting the boat under the microscope in an effort to ensure it is as fast as it can be and also in the hope we avoid breakages.
'This is fundamental to skiff racing, as the boats are rigged very lightly and are close to the edge of failure when the wind is up.
'Our focus is simply to sail to our potential as a team consistently through the event. We feel if we are able to do this, then we will be hard to beat.
'Seve, Sam and I thank you all for the support through the previous 12 months. Without it, the Gotta Love It 7 18 footer campaign would not be the reality it is in our lives.'
by Tom Clout and Andrew Palfrey - Team Seven
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